A Presidential Committee chairman is expected to pull a few
strings, especially when the president of the committee in question
is George W. Bush. So when Adair Margo, chairperson of the US
President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities (PCAH) arrived in
China, she got her chance.
Margo led a group of 35 delegates on a visit
to China and was impressed by a shadow puppet show given by
villagers from Tangshan, Hebei Province.
The show was part of the on-going shadow puppet exhibition at
the National Art Museum in Beijing, a hub for cultural and
political connections this week.
Delegates of the US President's Committee on the Arts and
Humanities enjoy a shadow puppet show given by villagers from
Tangshan, Hebei Province.?
Margo and many of the PCAH committee members had never been to
China and were blown away by the experience. "Our stomachs, eyes
and brains are all stuffed these days," Margo says. "Many people of
the delegation, including me, have not been to China. I have only
seen the Great Wall in pictures and it cannot be captured.
"It's so amazing to be so close to such rich ancient history. Of
course, the influences are everywhere in our country, but coming to
the source is quite extraordinary."
Margo said she believed in people-to-people diplomacy, and the
vital role arts and humanities played in strengthening the ties
between China and the United States.
"We want to open new opportunities for artists and scholars, and
strengthen relationships between our cultural and academic
institutions," she says.
"When you are dealing with China, you are dealing with such a
long history that affected all of us.
"I believe the US-China cultural cooperation will have great
effect over the world."
The group of American VIPs climbed the 2,000-year-old Great
Wall, which most of them had only seen in pictures. At the Commune
at the Great Wall, a cutting-edge architectural development
designed by a group of international architects, the group heard
Shan Jixiang, vice-minister of the State Administration of Cultural
Heritage discuss the challenges and opportunities of the
conservation and preservation of Chinese cultural heritage.
At the National Art Museum, delegation members were drawn to the
paintings by Lou Shibai, 89, a Chinese master artist who learnt his
skills from Qi Baishi (1864-1957).
Pictures by the Italian-born and Paris-based fashion
photographer Paolo Roversi revealed China's international appeal.
The visual gems were the epitome of what Sun Jiazheng, China's
minister of culture wanted to show to the US guests.
Rich cultural heritage, traditional arts as well as modern art
in an age of the economic prosperity were all revealed to the
VIPs.
Senior representatives from the Library of Congress, the
National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the
Humanities make up the PCAH.
The visit was an important opportunity for these key decision
makers to meet Minister Sun, as well as Chinese officials, cultural
administrators, artists, scholars and curators.
"The visit reflects that the US federal officials have attached
great importance to the cultural exchange between China and the
US," says Minister Sun.
"China and the United States are thousands of miles away from
each other, separated by the Pacific Ocean, having different
cultural and historical backgrounds, but it is because we have so
many differences that we need to strengthen communication and
mutual understanding.
"Culture can overcome the barriers of language, ideology and
religion to reach people's heart."
China's Ministry of Culture selected Shanghai, Beijing and Xi'an
as destinations for the group. In Shanghai, they visited the
Shanghai Museum and watched a performance at the Shanghai
Children's Palace. In Xi'an, the capital of Han Dynasty
(AD202-BC220) and Tang Dynasty (AD618-907), the delegation saw the
terracotta warriors and the newly opened Hanyang Ling Tombs.
They finished their trip in Beijing. In addition to the Great
Wall and the National Fine Arts Museum, they visited the Forbidden
City, the 798 contemporary art complex and took a "hard-hat" tour
through the National Grand Theatre, which will open in May
2008.
The Americans were especially dazzled by the food. "The food
sold in the Chinese restaurants in the US is very different from
the real Chinese dishes here," says Caren Prothro, who serves on
the board member of Trustees of the Dallas Museum of Art. "What we
knew about China from the books, TV and movies in the US are very
different from what we see here."
The culmination of the visit was the signing of the Implementing
Accord for Cultural Exchange for the period 2007 through 2009 under
the Cultural Agreement between the government of China and the
government of the United States.
(China Daily June 13, 2007)
